I loved what Phil Mickelson did at the U.S. Open golf championship on Saturday.
He may have breached the spirit of the game, but I thought it was priceless.
Mickelson, a five-time major champion on the PGA Tour, was on the 13th green when he hit his bogey putt past the hole.
Fearing the ball was going to roll off the green, Mickelson jogged after his ball and hit it back towards the hole as it was still moving.
Mickelson was assessed a two-stroke penalty for breaching Rule 14-5 (a player must not make a stroke at his ball while it is moving) and recorded a 10 on the par-4, 13th hole.
After his round, Mickelson admitted to intentionally hitting the moving ball because he didn’t want it to roll off the green.
He was 21 strokes off the lead at the time at the ridiculously punishing Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and I think Phil’s actions were akin to him giving the USGA the middle finger for setting up such an absurdly challenging golf course.
If anything, the bizarre series of events should force the U.S. Golf Association to rethink the implementation of its rule book.
Officials could have invoked Rule 1-2 and disqualified Mickelson if they decided that his action was deemed to have gained him a “significant advantage.”
Do I think Mickelson should have been disqualified? You betcha.
It was a moment of sheer madness. But I still found what he did hilarious.
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